Dark Souls III Review (Xbox One)

Thank the Sunbros that the wait is over. Just the thought of dying over and over, while overcoming nasty beasts, treacherous locations filled with death and of course that sweet music that lets you know what game you’re playing, I’m happy that Dark Souls III is here. Sadly this is also a bitter-sweet moment as it’s to be believed this is also the end of the series, the series that started out with Demon’s Souls, that progressed into Dark Souls, a new chapter with BloodBorne, to where we find ourselves at now. Has all of the hype for Dark Souls III been worth it?

Well, that’s what I’m here to find out, so take my hand as we take this journey together. I swear I won’t push you over that ledge… go head, just a little closer. Muhahahaha…. Clerics.

And yes, this review is as spoiler free as I could make it. Don’t get mad at me if something does get spoiled, this is a review after all.

As a long time fan of the Dark Souls series, you should have seen the giant smile that came over my face as I pressed the power button on my Xbox One and finally after all this time started my adventure into the land of Lothric.

Before I start, I wanted to address something that is bothering me and likely you as well. Throughout Dark Souls III we see characters and enemies types that had made appearances in the first Dark Souls but were absent in Dark Souls II. The environment that we play in, while not exactly the same as Lordran feels and looks very familiar. From a very familiar blacksmith making his return to numerous enemies that we haven’t battle against in a few, to even many iconic weapons and sets of armor. I even found a version of a former keeper of a certain jail midway into the game. Is Dark Souls III actually a sequel? Are we playing a prequel? What exactly is going on here lore-wise?

Either way, there’s a lot of Dark Souls fan service going on in this game. Yes and it’s so good!

While Dark Souls III is the new entry into the series, Fromsoftware has taken the best parts of the previous titles and then improved on them. For example, in Dark Souls, you were able to warp to and from any bonfires you previously lit but only after you received a certain item which didn’t come until later in the game. In Dark Souls II all you had to do was lit a bonfire and you were instantly able to warp to and from in a similar fashion. In Dark Souls III, you will be able to warp from bonfires as soon as you find them, much to the dismay of many of Dark Souls fans. And while I enjoyed the ability to warp from location to location, I also feel that the traveling aspect feels like a mixture of both Dark Souls titles.

Yep, this set made it back into the game.

In another odd twist, dying doesn’t have any penalties this time around. Previously if you died you would turn hollow and need to use an item to revert back to your human form. Dying works the same way, you still drop your souls; however, you don’t turn hollow this time around unless you do something specific which I won’t go over as it spoils part of the game. However, you aren’t without a penalty, however. This is where the embers, come into effect. When you first start the game you’ll notice that your gear looks similar to a piece of singed wood. That my friends is the power of the Lord of Cinder, which you’ll find your connection with later on. However when you die you lose that power though you just don’t hollow anymore. To get that power back you must use what is called an ember, which restores that power. This also has its benefits as it also boosts your health by a small percentage and you’re able to summons other players. So while the original hallowing process is gone I do like this new change, especially since if you use the embers correctly then you can also get an advantage going into a boss fight. They can even be used as a replacement for an estus flask as well. The downside, however, is that they are limited. They don’t refill like the estus flask and while you can find some in the world and eventually buy some, they are still extremely limited. And once they are gone that’s it, so watch out how you utilize them. And no that won’t stop people from invading your game if you decide not to use an ember. Nice try, though.

Fans of the previous two entries in the series who weren’t a fan of the slow and clunky combat especially after playing Bloodborne will be happy with the changes that have been made in this game. The combat is fluid and fast, execution is a bit easier, although I was having issues with parrying at times due to the timing changing a bit. That also extends over to dodging, which is also faster in Dark Souls III. It would seem that Fromsoftware learned a thing or two while they developed Bloodborne. If you were to compare the combat found in Bloodborne and pitted it against what’s going on in Dark Souls III, you’ll notice that the combat is pretty much the same thing with a few minor changes. This also extends into shield blocking, swapping into a dual-handed stance and even plunging attacks. I was really impressed in how the much the combat has evolved, though if you enjoyed the combat from the previous Dark Souls titles and found that the combat in Bloodborne was too fast, you may be disappointed. Despite the changes, it did seem at times that no matter how decent you were, there was always an enemy of two that just seemed to be that bad ass you couldn’t easily defeat. I’m mainly talking about heavily armored characters that handle their huge sheets as if they were pieces or paper, easily able to slam your face into said shield over and over.

Thankfully the enemy variation was plentiful in Dark Souls III. There definitely shouldn’t be any more complaints about just having humanoid enemies or bosses for that matter. From armored knights, demons, harpy creatures, dragonkins, some sort of goblin hybrids and that’s just the tip of the iceberg folks. Some fast, some slow, all, however, have a very detailed appearance and are fun to fight. Well unless their doing their job and are slaughtering you mercifully over and over. Truth be told however it felt at times that I was playing a game that was heavily inspired by Bloodborne, instead of a DarkSouls game. And that’s not a bad thing though it goes to show where the though process was and fret not as it does eventually become more Dark Souls-ish very shortly into the game.

That said I did have an issue with several bosses in the game that were more of gimmicks then actual boss fights. In those instances, you were forced to look for clues or hints on how to defeat the boss, which were easy to miss especially since you’ve been trained to do nothing more than attacking a boss until it’s downed. Thankfully there are few and far of those, while the rest of the bosses will require some thought and fast reflexes to get them to give up their souls. And for the truly devoted, there is one particular boss that will give you a run for your money, one that took me more than a few tries to get him down. So if the boss fights feel a tad easy, don’t worry as they’ll soon ramp up for you. Just be mindful not to toss your controller across the room or at your TV or monitor.

You actually have to lose to this NPC to get this gesture.

The level design seems to be a mixture of things both tried and true, as well as things that were learned from not just Dark Souls but also Bloodborne. This may or may not be the games weakest point and while some may disagree, it is pretty hard to say that it’s not apparent. Levels change-up fairly often from wide and open areas that are ripe for exploration, some with shortcuts and branching paths while others are confined and straight forward. There’s also a vast amount of horizontal exploration, which is clearly something that was heavily present in Dark Souls II. While I don’t want to say it as I know what sort of debate this will start, it just seems like two different teams or minds designed the areas in Dark Souls III. They aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination though it just varies and when it does you can tell. No matter how you slice it, however, it all works out very well in the end.

Another return to Dark Souls III is the exploration which was something that was sorely missing in Dark Souls II. Now you can simply stop following the main storyline and just go pretty much anywhere. Certain levels are huge and offer a nice payout for those who just decide to see what’s out there. From items, to new shortcuts and even a boss. Yes, the game is so open-ended at times that if you choose not to explore you will actually miss out on several optional bosses and one required boss. A bit misdirected at times, sure. That said there’s nothing more exciting to decide to climb the side of a mountain and suddenly get involved in a boss battle. I’ve stumbled in a few cool things doing my exploration in Dark Souls III and I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen everything yet. Thankfully that’s what New Game is for, something I love taking advantage of.

Is this the best rendition of Dark Souls yet? This is the question I’ve seen asked many times and while I didn’t really have an answer, I did ponder that question as well. While I can’t speak for everyone, from what I’ve experienced from start to finish, I can safely say that this game is definitely better than I expected, especially after the release of Dark Souls II. Now while I’m not going to get involved in which is the best entry to date I can say that it is one of the most enjoyable ones. Enjoyable but perhaps the easier Dark Souls title as well. How can a Dark Souls title be easy you may be asking? From someone who has played every title in the series multiple times, including several new game sessions as well as all of the DLC, I did feel that the challenge wasn’t always there. Of course, there are exceptions to this as you’ll find out when you finally get your hands on the game.

I’m not saying that the game is a cake walk but the fear of wandering through the world didn’t feel as apparent as it once previously was. Sure that could be due to myself being versed with the game-play of the series already, so if you’re in the same boat as me be prepared. There just were too many bosses that took one or two tries and that really bothered me. However, for every one of those bosses I encountered, several others than had me banging my head against the wall, that is until I finally beat them. In any event, have fun being slaughtered over and over again. I sure did.

Despite everything I touched on so far, I would be crazy to not mention the music. That eerie yet heart pounding music that makes or breaks the atmosphere of the Souls series is ever so present. After listening to the soundtrack that accompanies the game, it’s fairly easy for me to say that Dark Souls III has perhaps the best soundtrack in the entire series. Music has always been a milestone for the Dark Souls game and it simply doesn’t disappoint in what may very well be our last go. And while I won’t spoil anything for anyone thinking about picking up the game, just be ready to have your mind blown. Sure music during the first 5 hours of the game is good, towards the end, it gets really epic. In fact, if you can’t wait and don’t mind being spoiled then listen to the soundtrack for the game. There’s a few floating around on Youtube right now. It’s simply beyond epic.

Update: Shortly after this review dropped, Bandai Namco released the 1.01 update for the North American version of Dark Souls III. Introduced with the patch were several balance updates as well as upping the difficulty. This put the game on par with the PS4 and Xbox One Japanese versions, however, I didn’t find that the challenge was that much harder than previously. Mostly what I found was that enemies were doing more damage to me that previously but it wasn’t anything too drastic. That said it didn’t stop me from running through the game two more times with New Game. It did make one particular boss fight a super pain in the ass.

No online testing in this review

I know that a large number of fans of the series simply love their PVP and so do I. Due to the North American version of Dark Souls III not officially being released until April 12, 2016, the servers aren’t online and Bandai Namco is keeping a day one patch hostage. Oddly enough I didn’t hear anyone about a day one patch for the Japanese release nor for the PC English version of Dark Souls III. Either way, it means we aren’t able to do any online co-op, PVP or even NPC summons.

The biggest issue with the servers not being able to leave a message. I enjoyed leaving helpful messages to other would-be travelers, while others like to have a little fun and leave false messages. False messages that have sent many players jumping off cliffs or running head on into danger because they believed that message that was left by a jester. Throughout my game-play I looked and looked, only to remind myself that it will just be all alone until the official release. Let it be known that I am spoiled by this and while I don’t think it is right to review a title with a major component missing, I can say that unless Fromsoftware did something drastically silly then the online component should work similar to how it did in the past titles.

Since this review is being released prior to the release date we’ll just have to revisit this portion at a later time.

Update: Since the game is officially released, I attempted to test out the online ability of Dark Souls 3 multiple times. Sadly I was still unable to join other peoples games either via friendly co-op or invasions. Every time I attempted to do so it would act like it was working and telling me I was joining someone’s sessions and then fail. I’ve tried about 20 times since and they all ended the same way. Still, it is a bit early I suspect there may be a bug or two in the mix that will be fixed quickly.

The beautiful and the sorta ugly

Since the copy I’ve been playing is the Xbox One version, I can not speak for either the PlayStation 4 or PC versions though I fully expect to play those as well. That said the Xbox One version isn’t without its faults; I’m sure that was expected by many. Similar to other 3rd party titles, Bloodborne Dark Souls III runs at a 900p resolution and sadly does not run at a consistent 30 frames per second. While that may seem to be an issue it doesn’t make the game unplayable by any means. Everything I’ve encountered, from my character to the enemies in the game and even the backgrounds are beautiful. With plenty of special effects that make the game pop, like the fire that is spewed from a Dragon, the frost effects that are show off a certain weapon or even during a boss battle. There is also the issue of the game slowing down at times though it doesn’t prevent the game from being playable. That said you will notice it and when you do it will be apparent. When I noticed it, it wasn’t when I encountered a large number of enemies on-screen but more so when an enemy did an attack that was so expansive that the game likely crawled to a halt. Sadly this happened on not only boss battles but as well as normal progression in-game; such as running past several enemies. It is a shame that the issues that occur simply do though fans of the series will be able to enjoy Dark Souls 3 on the Xbox One just fine.

Update: The recently released 1.01 patch for the North American version of Dark Souls III did address the lower frame rate issues and while it does improve on what was originally seen, the game still does drop under 30 frames per second in certain areas and fights. It is vastly better than before, however.

Update 2: The 1.03 patch was released quietly before the official release and I noticed that while the performance did improve and the frame rate was more consistent, it still dropped during certain segments. It’s definitely an improvement, however.

Thankfully Bandai Namco has stated that there is a day one patch for Dark Souls III which will be released on April 12, 2016. Supposedly this will help with frame-rate issues as well as bump up the difficulty and address balancing issues. I for one truly hope this is the truth as there’s just way too much slowdown for a current generation title. Especially after all the magic we saw in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin. Loading between levels or when dying also isn’t very fun as you’ll have to deal with 10-15 seconds of load time, where heading back to Firelink Shrine can take anywhere from 15-20 seconds. If you’ve ever played Bloodborne on the PlayStation 4 then you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Finally, I’ve heard some complaints or worries that the game would be too short, similar to how Dark Souls II was. This is definitely not the case, not at all. It took me about 34 hours to get through most of the content which did not include several option bosses. After the final boss was taken down, a fight that I add was truly epic, I set out to finally get those optional bosses down which added another 5 hours to my game time. Just under 40 hours to tackle most of the content seems like a decent time to complete the game. Though there’s still two other endings as well as other NPC’s that I failed to find the first time around. Thankfully that’s exactly what New Game is for. Though I just may wait for the PC version to tackle this masterpiece again, that’s just the type of Dark Souls fan I am.

Editor’s Note: This review is based on of the English-Language version of Dark Souls III on the Xbox One. A Day-One patch is scheduled for release with the Worldwide Version on April 12th, and the review will be updated to reflect the changes. Since we were not provided a copy by Bandai Namco, we are not under the existing embargo.

All in all, if Dark Souls III is indeed the final chapter in the Dark Soul series then at the very least the game will go out with a supernova sized bang. Multiple endings, hidden paths for the adventurous, optional bosses and levels, tons of items to find and despite the forward linear progression this is perhaps the game in the Dark Souls series. While this review does cover the Xbox One version, nothing else will be any different on either the PlayStation 4 or PC versions as well. That said you can’t do wrong regardless of which system to you decide to play Dark Souls III on, just make sure that you do play it.

Pros:

Easy the best looking Dark Souls title to-date

The combat is more fluid and flows better than previous entries

The music is hands down the best in any of the Souls-related titles

Tons secrets to find for those who like to explore

Lots of Dark Souls fan service

Will last you 35-40 hours if you do everything

Cons:

Game runs at 900p

Doesn’t run at a consistent 30 frames per second

It eventually does end

I could die over and over yet never get enough of this game

Overall

4.5

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About The Author

Keith Mitchell is the Founder and Editor in Chief of The Outerhaven. A grizzled IT professional during the day, but a passionate lover of video games after his 9-5 grid. Loves playing the Dark Souls series and has been gaming since he was 6 years old. Available for podcasts upon request.

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